


Becoming part of the family.

by twijfelaar



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Carter's birthday makes Alex nervous cause she needs a birthday gift, Gen, I am a sucker for self made families, Kara/Cat are in a pretty serious relationship, This is about FAMILY, but this is not about them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 10:06:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6324832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twijfelaar/pseuds/twijfelaar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Carter's birthday and Alex is invited. The present she is giving him has personal value and she worries it might be too soon, to give something like that.</p><p>She just want Carter to be happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Becoming part of the family.

**Author's Note:**

> So established Supercat, but this is not about them. I just wonder how both Alex and Carter would react to suddenly having extra family members. With Alex being so closed off for a very long time because she had to protect Kara and Carter just having his mom, they just seem like the kind of people who would freak out about it, a bit.

Alex is having a hell of a week. After stopping Myriad from happening Non and his followers have decided that randomly attacking National City is a great way to destabilize the DEO so they can regroup and think of a new plan to destroy human kind and rule the world. All in all Alex is tired, and ready to crawl into bed and sleep for 20 hours at least. Instead she is racing home to get Carter’s birthday present and change into a more suitable outfit for a 12 year olds birthday party. As much as Alex loves her gun, she is leaving it at home tonight. The leather jacket she is wearing has also seen some better days, days without having blood stains almost ingrained into the soft well worn leather.

Thank god she thought of a birthday present the moment she heard Carter’s birthday was coming up.

She texts Kara one last time to let her know she is coming to the apartment after she has a change of clothes and threatens to eat all the pot stickers next binge watch marathon if there isn’t a piece of cake left for her.

Alex walks into her apartment throws the jacket on the couch and walks into her bedroom. The present is on her bed and while she is putting her gun in her safe she looks at the present. She hopes Carter likes it as much as she likes it. She hopes he will not be disappointed.

See Alex has a soft spot for the kid, and ever since he saw her in her tactical gear during a close to home hit from some random alien, he has a soft spot for her. Kara calls it a crush. Alex is sure Kara is overreacting but Carter is not a bad kid. He has hit some tough spots in his life but he manages to get through them and Alex respects that. And he is an absolute beast at Risk and seeing Kara being beat by him must have been one of her highlights this year. 

So yeah she hopes Carter likes the present.

While Alex is driving to Kara’s apartment she is trying to tell herself she is not nervous, it’s just an 12 year old kid. Maybe the present is a bit too much, maybe it is too soon. Maybe she should have gone to a toy store and bought something new. Checking her watch tells her what she already knew, all the stores are closed and she is not showing up without a present. She parks her car and stares at the apartment, seeing the lights on and seeing shadows. Her phones buzzes to let her know she got a message.

“Get your butt upstairs.”

Sisters with superpowers, they won’t even let you freak out in peace.

She is knocking on the door and holding the present under her arm. It’s fits just about and she quickly grabs it with two hands. The door opens and Alex steps inside holding the present in front of her and getting inside quickly.

“Sorry I am late. Work, anyway where is the birthday boy and the cake I was promised.”

She puts the present down and looks around, she was expecting some more people. Cat and Kara are sitting at the kitchen table and Risk is spread out before them. Turning back to the door Alex sees Carter standing with the door in his hands. He is staring clearly shocked.

“It is your birthday right?”

If Kara played her she is going to kick her ass in the kryptonite room tomorrow.

‘Yes. Yes it is.”

Alex and Carter are both staring at each other and Alex has no clue why he is looking so surprised. She turns her head away and looks at Kara, who has a huge grin on her face and looks like Christmas came early.

“Ooookaaaayy, anyway Kara, mom is going to yell at you because you didn’t mention it was his birthday sooner and you know she can’t take days off with a short notice. Hi Cat.”

Cat is also staring at her. The exact same look on her face as Carter’s and they are so mother and son in that moment Alex can only snort. She walks towards Kara and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“So I am guessing you didn’t expect me to show up.”

Carter who seems to snap out of it closes the door and sprints towards her and hugs her tightly. 

“I am so glad you are here.”

Alex can’t help but smile softly at that, she never wants children of her own but she loves this one.

“Me too.”

She ruffles his hair and looks at the board. She can clearly see that Carter is winning even though Kara is giving him a fair fight. Carter is clutching her hand like a lifeline and Alex knows he doesn’t really do physical contact so she feels pretty darn special right there. Cat also seeming to snap out of it asks about her work, which she always does, because Cat Grant can’t stop being a journalist. But Alex can’t stop being an agent for a secret government agency so she can’t really answer.

“Since you don’t know. It means we did a good job.”

Kara has gone into her kitchen and comes back with a piece of cake and Alex can’t help but moan at the sight. She has eaten a protein bar as dinner and her stomach rumbles just by seeing the cake. Cat looks at her with raised eyebrows.

“Don’t they have a cafeteria where you work?”

Alex grabs the cake out of Kara’s hands and takes a bite, it relaxes her. She answers Cat while her mouth is still full and she can see Cat’s disgusted face but Carter laughs and that is good enough for her.

“I was busy you know. Saving the world, making sure I could get to a birthday party.”

Cat shakes her head and walks towards the fridge.

“I am sure there is some leftover take out in here. You really need to take care of yourself, Alex.”

Kara who has been quiet since Alex got in has a huge grin on her face and wraps her arms around Alex.

“I think she likes you.”

Alex snorts and takes another bite of the cake while she is looking at Carter who has resumed the game while all the adults have left the table.

“Of course she likes me. I am a delight.”

Cat clearly heard because she turns around and looks at her with a raised eyebrow. Alex who has stared down aliens and survived the Hank Henkshaw stares of doom, (not her idea to call them that. It was Vasquez.) just grins and keeps eating the pie.

Carter looks up from the board and sees them and Alex thinks she actually sees his eyes watering but he glances back to the board before Alex can comment on it. Cat is asking Kara something and she also disappears into the kitchen. Alex drags an empty chair next to Carter at the table and drops down. She stretches in the chair and giving his feet a tiny nudge.

“So what presents did you get already?”

He starts talking about a new version of Risk he got and how Kara took him flying, Alex needs to remind Kara about the consequences of that one but for now she will let it slip because Carter looks happy. Alex listens to him and smiles, and comments when needed and if she would look up she would see Cat and Kara staring at the two of them. Alex is too engrossed in the story of Kara taking him flying, Alex will never admit it but she misses the flights.

“They just make you feel so”

“Free.”

“Yes exactly. Today has been the best birthday ever and I haven’t even seen what you got me.”

“O and my mom got you something as well. Just remember Kara didn’t mention your birthday till last week and she is busy so, you know don’t be disappointed if it’s just a card and some money.”

Alex doesn’t actually know what her mother got him. She just got an envelope in the mail and an attached letter with clear instruction to not peek and give it to Carter.

“She got me something as well?”

“Yes of course. She finally has a grandson, do you know how long she has been bugging me about not having any grandchildren. Be prepared to be spoiled rotten kid.”

He looks up at her and again he looks surprised. Which weird’s Alex out because sure he has other grandparents. In fact Alex knows that Cat has a mother, Kara mentioned her once. Cat comes back and puts a bowl of reheated Chinese food in front of her and Alex puts the last bits of pie in front of Carter and starts eating. So maybe she is a bit hungrier then she thought. 

They end up sitting on the couch to open the presents. The adults are on the couch, Carter is on the floor with the envelope and Alex present. Alex nervously wrings her hands together and Kara pats her leg softly, Carter is looking wide eyes at the envelope which has Eliza’s cursive handwriting on it. He cautiously opens the envelope and Alex is in awe that Carter has so much restraint. He has been jumping up and down while putting the game away. (which he won, Alex has been rubbing it into Kara’s face and she plans on continuing doing that.)

He opens the card and read it aloud.

“Dear Carter,  
Happy birthday! I am sorry I can’t be there to meet you in person. I have heard a lot about you from both my daughters and I am told you are a smart boy. See we have quite a lot of smart people in our family and I am sure we can use another one. Now I am not sure if Kara and Alex told you what I do, and I can’t exactly tell you, but I can show you some bits. So this is an invitation for you and your mother to come visit me, and I can give you a tour at my workplace AT THE NASA HEADQUARTERS!!!!!!!!”

Carter looks at his mother and Cat looks intrigued as well. Carter has a huge grins on his face and brings the card close to his chest. 

“Mom! We are going to NASA!”

And then he just laughs and hugs the card even tighter. Cat has a smile on her face as well and softly kisses Kara on the lips.

“Go read the rest of the card.”

He focuses on the writing again and resumes.

“I hope this will make up for the fact that I am not there right now. I hope to see you soon. Lots of love, Eliza Danvers.”

He hugs the card again and puts it down with care. Alex can’t help but smile and think about the present she is giving him. It fits. Carter excitedly turns towards the present on the floor and starts unpacking it. He is taking his time and Alex is starting to get giddy. It might be the tension but it also could be a combination of tension and sleep deprivation. When the wrapping paper is pulled off Carter is met with a simple cardboard box. It shows clear signs of being used, like whatever is in there has been packed and unpacked a lot. Carter looks up at Alex and she nods and motions to him.

“Open it.”

He slowly opens the box and the cover falls open to show an old telescope inside. Alex can actually hear Kara gasp.

“That’s your dad’s!”

Alex scoots of the couch and drops herself on the floor opposite of Carter who is looking at the telescope with wonder and curiosity.

“My dad got it from his father and he got it from his father and I think that is where it starts. So you know, I am giving it to you. And you give it to your own kid, or maybe a brother or sister and they give it to their kid and on and on.”

She looks up at Cat and Kara, at Kara who has crawled into Cat and Cat who looks at them with tears in her eyes. Carter is still very silent.

“You- You like it?”

He answers with a tackle and she can feel his arms snake around her neck and squeezing and she falls back from the force. She wraps her arms around him too.  
She likes Carter, he is an extra reason to continue the fight she is fighting. He has been showing up in her mind every time she gets thrown around like a rag doll, or gets cut or shot at. 

“I love it. Thank you Alex.”

“Want to set it up by the window?”

He scrambles away from her turns towards the telescope, he seems unsure what to do.

“Go on, we need to get it out of the box.”

He very carefully gets all the pieces out of the box and Alex remembers the day she got the telescope from her dad. It was after Kara came to live with them and before Alex had learned to deal with the fact that she was not an only child anymore. Her dad took her aside one night and presented the box to her, and told her to put it up in her bedroom. Alex moved around a lot but the telescope always came with her. She knows every screw and bolt, knows which part are stuck together with superglue, so she helps. She tells Carter how to put the telescope together and when they are done Alex can’t help but feel a bit proud. She ends up hugging Carter into her side while they look at it.

Alex stands up and wipes her hands on her pants, the dust sticking to her pants. She can hear Cat making tutting noises and Kara is just listening to them with her eyes closed, she might even be sleeping.

“Come on, let’s put it at the window. See if we can find some unknown star constellations.”

Alex lifts up the telescope, mindful of the legs which have seen better days and slowly walks to the windows. 

“Grab a blanket and some pillows Carter!” 

He grabs whatever blanket he can find and Kara stacks pillows in his arms while laughing. Alex is looking through the telescope, trying to see some stars, it is difficult with the light pollution from the city but stil Alex finds some. The telescope is old and there are probably fancier ones on the market which can zoom in more, but still, Alex learned them watching through this telescope and she will teach Carter the same.

Carter dumps the pillows and blankets at her feet and Alex rearranges them so they can lie down and for a moment Alex forgets. Forgets about Non, about the aliens that want her dead, want her sister dead and just looks at the stars with wonder and not with fear. She points the telescope towards Polaris, the brightest star in the sky.

“Look, you see that bright star. Right over there?”

Alex moves away from the telescope and Carter crawls in between the telescope and Alex. He sits close to her and Alex tries to be mindful of the physical contact, but Carter truly doesn’t seem to mind.

“I see it!”  
“That’s Polaris, aka the North star. It’s part of the Ursa Major, which you probably know as the Little Dipper. You can’t see the rest of the constellation because of the light pollution.”

Carter looks with wonder at the sky and Alex hopes that will never turn into fear. 

“It’s so awesome.”

Alex smiles and lies down, just for a bit. She has been up for a long time and with the tension leaving her body she can feel herself crashing. She hums and let’s Carter play with the telescope, she will get him a star gazing book tomorrow. She looks at him and slowly feels her eyes closing, she tries to stay awake but she is simply too tired and before she can even try to get to her car she has fallen asleep.

She wakes up at 5, because Alex always wakes up at 5. She can feel a blanket around her and a small body in front of her. The window is closed and Kara seems to have found more pillows and blankets and moved the both of them on there. The fact that Alex didn’t notice must mean she was really tired. She looks at Carter who is sleeping peacefully and Alex takes in the silence around her. She snuggles back into the blankets and closes her eyes. She deserves a day off, why shouldn’t it be today?

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, let me know what you think. I have the same name on tumblr if you want to look me up there!


End file.
